


Lose The Loser, Get The Girl

by telltaleharto



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-04-10 14:44:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4395908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/telltaleharto/pseuds/telltaleharto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jesse breaks up with Beca, who leans on Chloe for support.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jesse was the one to end it, which shocked Beca. Not because she had a track record of breaking hearts; on the contrary, she had never broken up with anyone in her life.  
No, it shocked her because Jesse was puppy-like attachment and abandonment issues vaguely shaped into a 20-something guy’s body.

What shocked her even more was the fact that Jesse had used the line, “I think we should see other people.” The stupid rom-coms he had made her watch bled into his lingo, and of course he wasn’t original enough to come up with a new way to break up with her.

All in all, Beca was relieved. She still hurt all over, which was uncommon, but she was relieved. She hadn’t really been feeling the relationship in a long time. Whatever had been there fizzled out long ago.

Beca just laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling, wishing she knew what to do. Unfortunately she wasn’t good at dealing with her emotions, and instead preferred to drink it off. Then, an idea struck her; she could meet up with Chloe, and go to their favorite bar to drink away the hurt.

She grabbed her phone, unlocked it, and then had to think for five minutes of what to say.  
“Jesse dumped me. Emergency drink session at our usual spot?” read her text.  
She waited for Chloe’s response.

Chloe, about to leave work for the night, felt her phone in her jacket pocket buzz.   
Impeccable timing, she thought.  
Jesse dumped me. Emergency drink session at our usual spot?  
Chloe felt her heart drop. No doubt Beca would be a wreck, and would need Chloe’s support. Which Chloe would be happy to lend. But she would have to lie a little, there was no way she could honestly say she was sorry he did it. She was sorry he hurt Beca, but that was it. Beca deserved better than him.   
Sure, how about we meet up in 30 minutes? read Chloe’s reply.  
Sounds good, I’ll see you there.

Thirty minutes, a quick shower, and a minor freakout session later, Chloe was standing outside of the little bar that she and Beca had proclaimed their favorite. She stood there for maybe around 5 minutes before she saw Beca walking towards her. She was dressed professionally, which was still odd to see on Beca Mitchell. Strict dress codes and a free spirit didn’t mix.  
But Beca’s body language drags Chloe’s attention away from her dress. Her head was down, her arms crossed tight across her chest, and she rubbed her right arm as if she was cold. Mostly it was an anxiety thing.  
“Beca! Over here!” Chloe called.

Beca looked up and half-smiled when she saw her friend. She shivered, though, when the wind blew. She forgot her jacket. Of course she forgot her jacket.  
Idiot, ran through her mind.   
Beca walked up to Chloe, and was instantly pulled into a hug. She tensed up, but relaxed almost instantly. Chlo was really the only person who could touch Beca at random, and Beca still be at ease.  
She leaned into the hug, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. The familiar smell of vanilla and feeling of warmth washed over her. She already felt better.  
“Oh my god! Becs, you’re freezing!” Chloe exclaimed when she pulled away, after feeling a violent shiver run down Beca’s spine.

Beca said sheepishly, “I left my jacket.”  
But it wasn’t entirely true, she wasn’t cold so much as she had felt Chloe’s warm breath and soft lips brush against her collarbone and instinctively, a shiver ran through her, betraying her thoughts.  
“Here, take mine.” said the ever-chivalrous Chloe Beale. Beca graciously accepted it, (what did that girl need a jacket for? Chloe’s a natural heater) and they walked in the bar.  
Thirty minutes and admittedly, very little alcohol later, Chloe looked up at Beca and smiled. She was doing the thing where she bit her lip while she absentmindedly hummed, and god she looked like the perfect combination of adorkable and sexy and it killed Chloe.

“Hey Becs, do you wanna talk now?” she asked softly, and Beca looked up with a sad smile.  
“There’s nothing to say, really.”  
“Well… What did he say when he broke up with you?”  
“I think we should see other people.” Beca replied in the imitation of her now ex boyfriend that usually made Chloe laugh. It didn’t this time, though. In fact, Chloe’s eyes narrowed.  
“Really? That simple-minded, unoriginal asshole.” she huffed, and Beca laughed.  
“Exactly what I thought.”  
Beca leaned back and sighed, “Not like this is the first time though… it just came out of the blue.”  
Chloe nodded, then said, “I’m sorry… you deserve better.”  
Beca closed her eyes and groaned, “Maybe I should just date women.”  
Chloe looked at her in shock, and she opened one eye.  
“It’s at least worth a shot, yeah?”  
Chloe took a deep breath and tried not to say what was on her mind. Tried not to tell Beca about how she had been in love with her for three years. Instead, she simply nodded.  
“I mean… Take you, for example. You’re everything a girl could want in a guy, but three times more romantic.”  
Chloe tried to crack a joke to ease the ever-growing tension.  
“Are you… trying to ask me out?” she chuckled.  
Beca sat up, leaned forward, and stared right into Chloe’s piercing eyes. Chloe was sure she could read her mind, read every panicked thought she’s having.  
“You know what? Why not.”  
Chloe was sure hell froze over.  
“Really?’ she said evenly, trying not to betray her excitement.  
“Yeah, really. You can’t be any more of a dick than Jesse was.” Beca chuckled.  
“Wow. How unromantic.” Chloe joked, still feeling like she had the whole zoo AND the butterflies in her stomach.  
“I’m sorry, my dear. How could I ever make it up to you?” Beca dramatically asked, and they both laughed before Chloe said, “You could pick me up on Friday at seven? That would do.”  
Beca nodded.  
“Friday at seven it is.”


	2. Chapter 2

Friday came around, and both Beca and Chloe were nervous as could be. Beca decided she was going to dress the way she always did, but just a little nicer. Just because she was going on a date with Chloe, it didn’t mean she had to be any different. It was still Chloe.

Chloe, however, had other ideas.

She was dressed to the nines, in a skin-tight red blouse with a well-fitting pair of black skinny jeans that hugged her hips. Typical black flats. She went easy on the makeup, and chose a necklace that Beca had given her for Christmas the year before they graduated. It was a gold key, with both of their initials engraved into the back of it. It was on a thin gold chain. (Beca’s delivery of the necklace had been hilarious; while all the Bellas opened their presents, she had chucked a small box wrapped in the Comics part of a newspaper at Chloe and muttered, “Here, weirdo,” before disappearing. She had been blushing.)

Beca was parked outside of Chloe’s house on Friday at 6:45, waiting. She knew she was a little early, but didn’t particularly care. She leaned against the passenger side of her VW Thing that she had acquired immediately after graduation. Her dad told her she could have whatever she wanted as a gift, and that’s what she chose. It was particularly ugly, being a hideous shade of yellow, but she had let the Bellas go at it with Sharpies. Then she clear-coated it.The result was a masterpiece of nostalgia, and a reminder of saying goodbye to one of the best parts of her life.

She was taken out of her reverie by the sound, and looked up. Her jaw dropped as her eyes roved over her date’s body, and she could feel herself begin to shake a little.  
“This is a stereotypical movie straight guy phrase, but… You look great.” Beca said shakily.  
“Thanks, Becs!” Chloe said cheerfully as she looked Beca over.  
“You look great too.”  
Beca’s head ducked awkwardly, as she said,”Thanks.”  
Beca stood up suddenly, as she stepped away from her car and pulled the door open.  
“Your ride awaits, Your Majesty.” She said jokingly, bowing. Chloe laughed and got into the passenger side. Beca quickly ran to the other side, got in, and they were off.

They drove for a while, and Choe got slightly lost. She didn’t know where they were going, and honestly didn’t care. She was with Beca, and that’s all that mattered. Beca plugged in her iPod, and started playing a playlist of songs she had specifically chosen for this date. They were mixes and mashups of Chloe’s favorite songs, most of which Beca had to begrudgingly admit she also liked.

They drove for about 25 minutes, until they pulled up outside a little coffeeshop. It was a quaint, quiet looking little place, and the lights inside shined warmly. They seemed to be calling to Chloe.

Beca shut the engine off, looked at Chloe and smiled, and said, “Ready?”  
All Chloe could do was nod.

Beca opened the door and jumped out of the car, going over to Chloe’s side to open her door. She opened it with a flourish, and grinned as Chloe got out daintily.  
“Let’s go then, babe.” Chloe said cheerily as she laced her fingers through Beca’s. Beca swallowed hard and nodded.  
They walked into the coffeeshop together,and sat down at one of the many tables. There were all sorts of people, from tired-looking business people, to nerdy kids, to a few other couples who sat close and held hands. Peals of laughter tinkled through the air from time to time, and everyone there seemed relaxed.

Beca smiled at someone behind the counter, and leaned towards Chloe to whisper, “I’ll be right back. Gonna place our order.” Beca knew what kind of coffee Chloe would want, as well as she knew she’d want one of the vanilla bean scones. She went up to place the orders, and as she walked, she could feel Chloe staring at her. This was obviously a spot Beca liked to be at, and she was clearly a regular here. The cashier looked around Beca at Chloe, smiled, then returned her attention to the girl standing right in front of her. Beca came back around five minutes later, arms loaded with coffee and pastries.  
“Here, I have goodies.” she chuckled as she set the food on the table. Chloe’s eyes lit up when she bit into the scone.  
“Mm, this is really good!” she said quietly, grinning at Beca. Beca could only nod.  
“So, what is this place?” Chloe asked after they had both eaten around half of their scones.  
“This was like… My home away from home, when I was in high school. I discovered this place when I was a junior. I’ve been coming here for six years now. I know a little something about everyone.”  
Beca laid her hand on the table, and Chloe reached out to her. She held on to Beca’s wrist, running her thumb over nearly invisible lines that Beca wouldn’t talk about.  
“I found this place towards the end of the worst part of my life.”  
“Tell me about the people here, babe.” Chloe said when she felt Beca tensing.  
“Okay.” Beca looked around.  
“That guy over there? In the suit? He’s an accountant. Went to school with my father. He’s a single dad, he has a little girl named Bailey who loves to draw. And the woman, next table over? She’s a receptionist who desperately wants to go to New York. But her grandmother died, so she’s staying for a while longer. Those boys at that table, they’re... a few gay teens from the local high school. Their parents don’t approve, so they created their own support group.” She sighed.  
“That group of teenagers is from a local home. They come here to hang out sometimes. And the cashier is a girl I knew in high school. She was gonna get out, make it to Hollywood. She was a rising actress.” Beca’s face darkened.  
“But then things happened, as things often do, and she was stuck here.”  
Chloe studied her face intently.  
“And what’s your hidden side of the story, Beca? What happened in high school?” she asked quietly. Beca sighed, looked down, and suddenly asked, “Do you want to go stargazing?”

Thirty minutes and seven songs later, they were laying on a blanket on a hill with their fingers intertwined. They didn’t speak for a minute, until Beca sat up and broke the silence.

“I got pushed around a lot as a kid. Got teased. I was treated pretty terribly, if I’m being honest. By high school… I was a wreck. I was so angry, all the time. And so… hurt. I tried to let the angry out, in the worst way possible.” She drew a deep breath as Chloe squeezed her hand encouragingly.  
“But all I did was make it worse, and hurt myself more.”  
“I kept… Self-destructing, I guess. Right up until I found the Bellas.”  
Beca looked at Chloe.  
“You saved my life.”  
Chloe sat up as well, looked at her, saw the tears brimming in Beca’s eyes, and felt her own eyes well up.  
“Beca…” she whispered, as she wiped away Beca’s tears.  
“But the thing is, Chloe… You can’t fix me. This is who I was, and I’m better now, but I’m still the same person.”  
Chloe looked her in the eyes, and felt herself leaning towards Beca. Their lips met in a messy kiss, that tasted of tears and regrets and I-should-have-told-you-long-agos. Chloe pulled away from her and leaned her forehead against Beca’s.  
“Beca, you aren’t broken. Not to me.”


	3. Chapter 3

Beca and Chloe laid on the blanket on the hill for three and a half hours, with Beca crying and Chloe attempting to comfort her, and both talking about their pasts. Beca told Chloe about what her life was like before the Bellas, before Chloe, and though she was trying to be cheerful it sounded pretty bleak.   
“My parents divorced. You knew that.”  
Chloe nodded.  
“But I never talked about how my mother reacted.” Beca took a deep breath, shuddering. Chloe took her and and smiled encouragingly.  
“My mother loved my father and I, in her own twisted way. She was extremely abusive to both me and my father, but I have no doubt she did love us. It was just… they fought all the time, constantly, and when my dad wasn’t there, I was the punching bag. Hell, I even remember one time Dad had just bought her a four hundred dollar phone, and she got pissed off at him for something and threw it at him. Gave him a black eye and everything. He’d leave late at night to go sit in a field and drink, because he couldn’t stand the fighting. So when he told her he was leaving her, it was no surprise to anyone but her. She… didn’t handle it too well.”  
Beca looked up at the sky for a minute, summoning the courage to tell Chloe something she had never talked about with anyone. Not even her father.  
“One day, my dad came to pick me up early from school. He had me gather some clothes when I got home, as he explained that I was going to go stay with my aunt and uncle. He didn’t have anywhere for us to stay yet so that was our best option in terms of living arrangements. My mother was in tears, and she hugged me and told me goodbye. Even as a pretty young kid I knew there was something oddly final and defeated about our parting.”  
There was another pause, and Beca heaved a heavy sigh before continuing.  
“That night, my mother took an entire bottle of sleeping pills and antidepressants, respectively, and committed suicide.”  
Chloe’s mouth fell open slightly, and she saw Beca’s shoulders slump.  
“Oh my God, Becs. I’m… I’m so sorry.”  
“Yeah… Me too.” replied Beca, sounding slightly broken.

Chloe sighed.  
“Why did you never tell me?”  
“Because I didn’t know how to talk about it. I didn’t know if you’d understand.”  
“Beca…”  
Chloe looked at the sky, and shook her head.  
“I understand. Believe me, I do.”  
She looked at Beca as she began to speak.  
“When I was in the tenth grade, I had a best friend. Her name was Lee. She lived with her dad and stepmom. Her dad was an alcoholic, and her stepmother didn’t have the time of day for her. She was depressed, but that never stopped her from living. She and I had art class together and I watched as she painted beautiful paintings, using vibrant shades of blues, greens, yellows, purples, reds… All of the colors of the rainbow. She used them so much, and so liberally, that you would think she was trying to paint over her life. She smiled so much and laughed so loud, no one knew she was sad.”  
A single tear traced its way down Chloe’s cheek as she spoke, and Beca watched, entranced.  
“She lived her life to the fullest, and never stopped, until the day she stopped herself. She committed suicide just before the summer between sophomore and junior year. She wrote a long suicide note, explaining why she had done what she did. She left individual people personal notes, either condemning or praising them for their actions towards her. But she didn’t leave me a note. She left me a painting, Becs. A painting of her and me together, in art class. It says at the bottom that art class was the only place she felt truly alive.”  
Chloe nervously grasped at the grass, ripping up little pieces and tossing them in front of her. A slight breeze blew, ruffling her hair and chilling them both.   
“Since then, besides a capella, art has always been my escape. Under my bed I keep all of my art supplies, and paintings, and drawings, and everything. I kept it to myself because it was so private to me. Bree was the only one who knew I did art, but even she didn’t know why.”  
Chloe looked at Beca, and nervously smiled.  
“Can you… Can you show me your paintings?” Beca asked shyly.   
“Sure.”  
They drove in silence back to Chloe’s house, Beca holding Chloe’s hand as she drove. When they got there, Chloe led Beca up the stairs to her room. She kneeled down beside her bed and reached under it, grasping for the three boxes she kept under it. One was paintings, one was drawings, and one was art supplies; all of it was special.  
“Okay. Here.” Chloe said, sifting through her paintings and handing the best ones to Beca. Some of them were simple, like a starry sky or a mountain range, or a sunset on the beach. But some were things Beca recognized, like camping with the Bellas at the retreat. Winning Worlds. Different competitions. And there was one, that shocked Beca just a little. 

It was Beca, sitting on the stage that she had auditioned for the Bellas on. The dumb yellow cup was there, and Beca noticed it had been painted with painstaking detail. Beca continued looking through the paintings, taking notice of how many Beca was the center of. 

“Hey, Chlo?”  
“Yeah, Becs?”  
“These are… amazing.” Beca said, handing the sheaf of papers back to Chloe.  
“Thank you, Beca.”  
Beca bit her lip thoughtfully, considering an idea she seemed to be turning over in her mind, before she looked up at Chloe.  
“Have you seen the pictures where one person paints on another person’s back?”  
Chloe nodded.  
“Yeah, I’ve seen them. I’ve always wanted to do that.”  
“Would you want to paint on mine?”  
Chloe took a deep, shuddering breath before nodding.  
Looking at Chloe, Beca took off her shirt slowly. She stood up, from where she had also been kneeling on the ground, and laid down on Chloe’s bed. Then, she took off her bra.  
Chloe quickly looked at her paints, trying to decide what she wanted to paint. She grabbed her blacks, and purples, and pinks. Some teals and blues, a yellow, an orange… Even with all these colors, it wasn’t enough to match the fireworks exploding in Chloe’s brain.   
“I’m gonna run right to the bathroom to get a cup of water, okay?” Chloe said quietly. Beca nodded, and she went to get the water. When she got back, she set it on the bedside table and then sat down beside Beca.   
“I’m gonna paint a nebula, okay?”  
“Okay.” Beca whispered.

Beca hissed quietly when the first cold stroke of paint was brushed on her back. Chloe was sitting, straddling her legs, painting with intense concentration. The swirling of the paintbrushes on her back made her shiver, but it felt nice. This was the most intimate Beca had ever been with anyone.  
Chloe painted, and painted, and painted. When she was done, she admired her handiwork. Beca’s back had been painted to resemble the galaxy. It was fitting, Chloe thought; Beca’s body was too small to contain the beauty of the universe within her.  
“Can I see?” Beca asked.  
“Sure, let me take a picture.”  
Beca looked at it and smiled.”  
“It’s beautiful.” she breathed.  
“You’re beautiful.” Chloe quietly replied. She got off of Beca’s legs, and went to the side of the bed. Kneeling beside Beca, she kissed her gently. Chloe tried to channel all of her feelings into that one kiss. All of the love she felt. All the times Beca made her brave. The unsaid I’m Sorrys, and the untold I’ll Stays. All of the things she had ever felt when it came to Beca.

But most of all, she tried to tell Beca without words that she was safe. That Chloe would never hurt her, and never leave her. She tried to say all of that, with a single kiss.

When they pulled apart, Chloe opened her eyes and looked at Beca intensely.  
“Beca?”  
“Hmm?”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too, Chloe.


	4. Epilogue

Beca and Chloe dated for exactly seven months before Chloe popped the question. Some commented that it was a little soon, but neither of them cared. Each had empty spaces, and it just so happened that they both filled those spaces for the other. Everyone had been assuming that it was Beca who would propose, but they didn’t realize how the relationship dynamic truly worked between the two.

Beca was so fragile at first, when no one was around. When they were alone, Beca would look at Chloe with an expression that was full of love, but Chloe could tell how fragile Beca was. Beca was like a figurine made from the finest of blown glass, crafted by an artisan. At the same time…

Chloe made her stronger. Better. She stopped being so fragile, and afraid. She started standing up for what she wanted. She was no longer guarded. Beca was better. Their wedding took place two months after the proposal. It had been mostly left to Chloe to plan, as Beca would have just have them get married in Vegas or something. It’s a quiet wedding, with Beca’s dad crying into a handkerchief and Chloe’s parents beaming from ear-to-ear. No one has a protest when the guy officiating says “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” And everyone cheers when he says “You may now kiss the bride.” The afterparty is awesome, with everyone dancing and having a good time. Of course Aubrey cuts in at one point, stealing Beca from Chloe with a small smile and “I promise I won’t damage your wife.”

They danced sort of awkwardly for a moment, before Aubrey suddenly blurted, “Listen. I… wanted to tell you… I’m happy for you and Chloe. Please… Take care of her. For me.”

Beca simply nodded and smiled, before saying “I will.”

* * *

Two years later, nestled on the couch, they were talking quietly when Chloe snuggled a bit closer to Beca and asked a quiet question.

“Becs? Do you remember… Do you remember our first date?”

Beca simply nodded and offered a quiet, sleepy hum as a reply.

“I meant what I said. I didn’t want to fix you, because you weren’t broken. I love you, Beca, and I am so happy I have you in my life.”

“I love you too, Chloe.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr at telltaleharto!


End file.
